Sustainable urban development

The municipalities in Sweden are responsible for the planning of land and water areas within their geographical boundaries. It is the municipality that decides whether the planning is to be implemented or not.

The comprehensive plan
Municipalities in Sweden must have a current comprehensive plan (översiktsplan) that covers the entire area of the municipality; this plan must be ratified by local politicians and is a guiding document for all planning within municipal boundaries. The plan must present the intended use of land and water areas: i.e. how the built environment is to be used, developed and preserved, and how public interests are considered. The plan must also indicate how the municipality shall consider national and regional goals, plans, and programmes of significance for sustainable development within the municipality. Thus, the comprehensive municipal plan is one of the most important tools when describing the ambitions of the future society. The expectation that the number of immigrants living in the area will increase is taken into consideration when making the comprehensive plan. Sustainable urban development in the district can only be achieved if the spatial planning includes economic, ecological, and social considerations. While there is a lot of pressure on the housing stock today, it is important to create liveable environments, not just to build houses. Spatial planning is intended to support accessibility, security, and social life, and the integration of immigrants has become an important part of this planning.

Stockholm
The 14 districts in Stockholm are each run by a district council. In order to achieve cohesive districts, it is considered important to create active district centres that include local citizen services as well as public services. In order to integrate the districts’ needs into the central city planning, the district councils continuously cooperate with the different central city divisions, such as the City Planning, Traffic, Environmental and Social Affairs divisions for the Municipality of Stockholm.

The 14 districts in Stockholm